Pro-Putin Biker Gang Spark Anger Over Ride

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 16 April 2015 | 16.15

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A Russian biker gang loyal to President Vladimir Putin is planning to ride through Europe to mark the end of the Second World War, triggering anger in Poland.

Plans by the ultra-nationalistic Night Wolves motorcycle club to retrace the westward route taken by Soviet troops to Berlin have been branded a "provocation" by Warsaw.

The rally comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West over the crisis in Ukraine, which have fuelled fears of Moscow's wider territorial ambitions.

The two-week, 3,728 mile ride will pass through Belarus, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and finish in the German capital on 9 May.

The biker gang's website states "To Berlin" - a reference to the Red Army's famous battle cry.

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Gallery: Vladimir Putin: Moscow's Action Man

In deeping with his image as a manage of action, Russia's PM Vladimir Putin makes an archaelogical 'find' on a dive in the Black Sea

Russian PM Vladimir Putin scales a climbing wall during his visit to a pro-Kremlin summer camp

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Mr Putin proved himself a natural climber...

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...but he had less success bending a pan

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Mr Putin (c) refereed an arm wrestling during his visit...

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The planned ride has angered many in Poland, which is a staunch ally of Ukraine's pro-Western government and where bitter memories endure of the Soviet's wartime occupation.

The country's Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said she considered it a "provocation".

But the bikers insist their trip is not politically motivated.

Rally organiser Andrei Bobrovsky said: "This is a memorial rally.

"The main goal is to pay respects to those killed on WWII battlefields in the struggle against Hitler's Nazis - soldiers and innocent civilians.

"Another goal is to develop and strengthen good neighbourly ties."

During their journey the bikers will visit war memorials, Auschwitz and Dachau death camps and Berlin's Treptower Park famous for its Soviet war memorial.

Mr Bobrovsky said many bikers from other European countries wanted to join the rally, which is due to start on 25 April, including Germans.

But a Polish Facebook page, called "No to the passage of Russian bandits through Poland", calls on the authorities to ban the Russian riders from the EU.

Jarek Podworski, a biker from Lublin in Poland who helped set up the Facebook page, said that it was "unimaginable" for bikers who have supported pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine to ride through the EU.

"We know very well what they are doing in Ukraine," Mr Podworski said.

"Brandishing Russian flags, they want to trace the footsteps of the Red Army which in reality did not bring freedom to Poland."

"The Russians are testing the limits of their expansion. If they pass, there is a risk that in three years they will come for good."

He called on Poles to disrupt the rally by blocking the roads.

The Polish government said it is monitoring "the problem".

The Night Wolves, who are sometimes seen as Russia's answer to the Hell's Angels in the US, are close allies of Mr Putin.

The Russian leader has been pictured on a number of occasions astride a Harley-Davidson trike at events held by the gang.

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Written By Unknown on Rabu, 15 April 2015 | 16.15

Some 400 illegal migrants may have drowned when their boat capsized off the coast of Libya on Sunday, according to survivors who were rescued and brought to Italy.

Those rescued claimed the vessel was carrying between 500 and 550 people trying to make their way to Europe when it sank.

Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration, said between 144 and 150 survivors arrived on Tuesday at Reggio Calabria in southern Italy after being picked up by the Italian coastguard.

"We are continuing to investigate in order to understand how the shipwreck happened," he said.

There has been a suggestion the boat may have capsized after passengers began moving around when they saw the Italian rescue team approach.

The Italian coastguard says it has recovered nine bodies.

"There were 400 victims in this shipwreck, which occurred 24 hours after (their vessel) left the Libyan coast," the charity Save the Children said in a statement, citing survivors.

"There were several young males, probably minors, among the victims," the statement continued, adding there were also children among the survivors.

Speaking to Sky News, Save the Children spokeswoman Carlotta Bellini said: "The situation in Libya is really bad.

"Many migrants, including many children, have been victims of violence and many of them have reached Italy over the past few days.

"They have mentioned that extremism and violence on migrants is growing (in Italy).

"They are being transferred to a migrant centre in northern Italy."

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Gallery: Stranded Migrants Leave 'Ghost Ship' In Italy

Migrants smile after disembarking from the ship

The Ezadeen cargo ship was stopped by Italian authorities after smugglers sent it speeding toward the coast in rough seas with nobody at the helm

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16.15 | 1 komentar | Read More

White House To Take Cuba Off Terrorism List

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By Sky News US Team

US President Barack Obama will remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, the White House says, as relations between the two countries continue to thaw.

He notified Congress of the long-awaited decision a week after meeting his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas.

The handshake in Panama was the first such formal interaction between the leaders of the former Cold War adversaries in more than a half a century.

Cuba's removal from the list will take effect within 45 days unless US lawmakers raise a joint resolution against the measure, which is deemed unlikely.

While the move will ease some economic sanctions on the communist-run island, the broader US embargo on Cuba will stay in place as only Congress can end that.

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Gallery: A History Of US-Cuba Relations In Pictures

1 January 1959: Fidel Castro's rebels - under the command of Che Guevara (R) - sweep into Havana. Dictator Fulgencio Batista, who had strong relations with the American mafia and large US corporations, flees Cuba. The US soon recognises the new government

June-October 1960: Castro announces the nationalisation of nearly all US businesses - and American-owned oil refineries, after they refuse to process Soviet oil

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October 1960: Washington, under President Dwight Eisenhower, bans exports to Cuba, other than food and medicine. The US embargo begins

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3 January 1961: The US ends relations with Cuba and closes its embassy in Havana

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16 April 1961: Fidel Castro, pictured here with Che Guevara (R), declares Cuba a socialist state

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Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said in a statement: "We will continue to have differences with the Cuban government.

"But our concerns over a wide range of Cuba's policies and actions fall outside the criteria that is relevant to whether to rescind Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism."

In his message to Congress, Mr Obama said the government of Cuba "has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future".

The decision could pave the way towards restoring diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana, potentially reopening embassies that have been shut for 54 years.

Mr Obama ordered a review of Cuba's status on the terrorism list in December, as he and Mr Castro took steps towards rapprochement.

Havana was added to the list of terrorism sponsors in 1982, when it was aiding Marxist insurgencies in Colombia and elsewhere.

Other countries on the list include Iran, Sudan and Syria.

Ties between Washington and Havana deteriorated in 1959 when Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries seized control, forcing US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista to flee.

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Written By Unknown on Selasa, 14 April 2015 | 16.15

Robot Reveals Inside Of Wrecked Nuclear Plant

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A specially-designed robot has become stranded after capturing the first grainy images from inside one of the melted reactors at Japan's doomed Fukushima nuclear plant.

It withstood the deadly radioactive environment but then became stuck two-thirds of the way through its mission and had to be abandoned.

Pictures lit by a lamp on the robot showed steam wafting around the chamber and debris that looked like small rocks and metal parts.

The video also showed numerous white spots believed to be caused by gamma rays.

Despite the glitch, officials said the images were a success and showed it was possible to send in more sophisticated robots as they embark on a 40-year mission to make the plant safe.

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Gallery: Robot's Pictures Inside Fukushima

A still image of a video taken by a small cord-controlled robot shows inside the reactor vessel of the No. 1 reactor building at Tokyo Electric Power Co's tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

The robot was used to film inside one of the reactors that melted down at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant last week, but the robot itself lost control and become disconnected

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The 60cm Hitachi robot entered the disaster zone through a pipe and then morphed into a crawler device, collecting radiation and temperature data as it crept along. Continue through for more pictures

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The robot also picked up lower than expected radiation readings, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), possibly paving the way for wireless devices to explore the site.

However, radiation levels inside the plant are still far too dangerous for humans.

The 60cm Hitachi robot entered the disaster zone through a pipe and then morphed into a crawler device, collecting radiation and temperature data as it crept along.

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Gallery: Archive: Timeline Of Events

March 11. Cooling problems at the nuclear plant emerged. The government declared state of emergency

March 12. Plant owners TEPCO said pressure was rising in some of the reactors and could not be controlled

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TEPCO spokesman Teruaki Kobayashi said its journey had been halted possibly after one of its tyres got stuck in a grating.

A different amphibious robot is set to enter the site next year for more tests.

Large volumes of cooling water continue to leak from the damaged reactors, causing contamination and hampering the cleanup process.

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Gallery: Images Of A Nuclear No-Go Zone

A boat lies stranded on the ground after the powerful tsunami two years ago.

One of the Google Street View camera cars drives through the deserted Namie streets.

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A £1.8bn ice wall extending down 1,500 metres is hoping to freeze the earth around the wrecked plant and stop contaminated water leaching into the sea.

The nuclear meltdown in March 2011 was the worst since Chernobyl and happened after a magnitude 9 earthquake hit the area and triggered a deadly tsunami.

Three reactors at the plant went into meltdown and hundreds of thousands had to be evacuated.

So far, more than 1,600 people have died from health complications brought on by the disaster.

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Written By Unknown on Senin, 13 April 2015 | 16.15

Hundreds of people have turned out for a beachfront tribute to a 13-year-old surfer who died in a brutal shark attack.

Elio Canestri had his arms and legs bitten, as well as part of his stomach, while surfing off the Indian Ocean island of Reunion.

Rescuers arrived quickly but could not save him.

A 3.5-metre tiger shark was quickly captured and killed but an examination of the boy's body revealed it was not the animal that killed the boy.

Elio was surfing in an off-limits area introduced after a series of shark attacks around the island.

In July 2013, a 15-year-old girl died after a shark tore her in two while she was snorkelling in a prohibited area.

Authorities banned all water activities outside special areas watched by lifeguards - a measure recently extended to February 2016.

The 13-year-old's death is the 16th shark attack on Reunion since 2011, and the seventh death.

"More than ever, we have to be doubly vigilant and the best way to prevent accidents is to respect the ban," said local police chief Dominique Sorain.

Professional surfer Jeremy Flores, who grew up on Reunion, paid tribute to Elio and posted a photo of him on Instagram.

He wrote: "ANOTHER shark attack in Reunion island this morning. 13 years old Elio was one of our best up and coming surfer. Words can't describe how sad and angry i am. So young !!! Heart breaking News . RIP."

A Facebook tribute page has also been set up, attracting more than 5,000 likes.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

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